VANDALS damaging bus shelters in Bolton have cost taxpayers almost £3,000 in five months.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) spent £2,983 fixing broken shelters in Bolton — the highest amount in the region.

In total the authority received 75 reports of damage, costing the organisation £11,545 between April and August. Cllr David Chadwick, the member in charge of transport at Bolton Council, said the figures reflected a “sad symptom of society”.

He said: “It’s a sad reflection that some people can’t walk past a bus shelter without smashing it up.

“If a shelter gets vandalised on a regular basis, instead of replacing it with glass, workmen will put in aluminium side panels.

“The problem is that if you have one of those in front of your house, the aesthetics aren’t as pleasant and I do feel sorry for people where that is the case.”

Bradshaw Tory councillor Stuart Haslam, who sits on the TFGM committee, said spending money on fixing bus shelters was a waste of public money.

He said: “I think it’s very regrettable that scarce resources are being spent mending vandalised shelters, which also make life awkward for the travelling public.

“Almost £3,000 is a lot of money when you’re struggling to run the bus services, and it would be much better to use those resources preserving bus services.”

The figures refer to 800 bus stops owned by TFGM across Greater Manchester.

Private company J.C. Decaux, which organises advertising on the shelters, is responsible for another 2,700 stops, and recorded 195 incidents of glass breakage plus another 189 reports of other damage.

They pay for the repairs on their shelters through their own revenue, and when contacted by The Bolton News refused to comment.

A spokesman for TFGM said if a shelter is repeatedly damaged the glazing is replaced with either solid glass reinforced plastic panels or clear polycarbonate sheets to the detriment of passengers, who feel safer in shelters made of transparent material.

A clear shelter also improves the sightline for drivers.

The spokesman added: “TfGM has a zero tolerance approach to any vandalism or anti-social behaviour across the bus network.

“Over the past decade we’ve developed strong working links with bus operators, the police, local councils and communities, which is having clear results in tackling public transport-related crime.”

Anyone who spots a damaged bus shelter is asked to let TFGM know by emailing busstop@tfgm.com or call 0161 244 1720 with the reference number on the bus stop sign. The areas will be made safe within 48 hours of a report.

SPENDING BETWEEN 01/04/14 AND 31/08/14 BY TfGM

  • Bolton: £2,983
  • Bury: £283
  • Manchester: £1,938
  • Oldham: £987
  • Rochdale: £1,771
  • Salford: £191
  • Stockport: £424
  • Tameside: £495
  • Trafford: £884
  • Wigan: £1,634
  • Greater Manchester total bill: £11,545